Michael Andrew Nykoluk (December 11, 1934 – January 31, 2022) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player and coach. He played 32 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

in 1956–57. The rest of his playing career, which lasted from 1955 to 1972, was spent in the minor leagues. He became the first assistant coach in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup in that capacity with the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...

in 1974 and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, before serving as the Maple Leafs head coach from 1981 to 1984. He was the younger brother of longtime

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

player Danny Nykoluk.

Early life

Nykoluk was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

on December 11, 1934. He played

and

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

when he was in high school. He began his junior career in 1953–54 with the

Toronto Marlboros The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros ...

of the Ontario Hockey Association. He was part of the team that won the

1955 Memorial Cup The 1955 Memorial Cup final was the 37th junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association in Eastern Canada competed ag ...

, scoring 13 points in 10 games in the playoffs that year.

Playing career

Nykoluk began his professional career with the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) during their inaugural season in 1956–57. In the middle of that season, he was called up to play in the

(NHL) for the

. The 32 games he played for Toronto, in which he scored four points, would be his only stint in the NHL. He was sent back down to the Americans, and was subsequently traded with Ron Hurst to the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season maki ...

in exchange for Willie Marshall. Nykoluk went on to have a 14-season career with the Bears. The team won two

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its cur ...

during his career (1959 and 1969). He led the league twice in assists, and amassed 50 or more assists in seven consecutive seasons (1963 to 1970). He was named to AHL All-Star Second Team in 1967 and was conferred the

Les Cunningham Award The Les Cunningham Award is given annually to American Hockey League's "Most Valuable Player" of the regular season, as voted on by AHL media and players. The award was first presented in the 1947–48 season, is named after Les Cunningham, a five ...

at the end of the year as the league's most valuable player. Nykoluk proceeded to hit a career-high 19

goal A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ...

s and 85 points the following season and was consequently selected the AHL All-Star First Team. He eventually retired from playing in 1972. Nykoluk's number 8 was later

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

by the Bears. He was part of the second class inducted into the

AHL Hall of Fame The AHL Hall of Fame is an online ice hockey museum dedicated to honoring members of the American Hockey League. Each year, a new class of inductees is enshrined during the AHL's All-Star Classic. On January 5, 2006, the league announced that Joh ...

in 2007. At the time of his death, he was the Bears' all-time leader in games played (972), assists (636), and points (808). He was also third in the AHL all-time in assists (686), sixth in points (881), and fifth in games played (1,069).

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, Nykoluk was offered a job with the

as an assistant to head coach

Fred Shero Frederick Alexander Shero, nicknamed The Fog (October 23, 1925November 24, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. He played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). However, he spen ...

. He became the first full-time assistant coach in the NHL. During his tenure, the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and

. He subsequently became an assistant to head coach Shero with the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

, and later served as head coach of the

for three seasons ending in 1984.

Personal life

Nykoluk was married to Dolly until his death. They met at his sister's wedding, where she was a bridesmaid. Together, they had four children. After retiring from coaching hockey, Nykoluk and his wife relocated to

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...

, around 1990. He underwent a quadruple

bypass surgery Bypass surgery refers to a class of surgery involving rerouting a tubular body part. Types include: * Vascular bypass surgery such as coronary artery bypass surgery, a heart operation * Cardiopulmonary bypass, a technique used in coronary artery ...

in April 2010. Nykoluk died on January 31, 2022, at the age of 87.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Coaching record

Awards and achievements

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

champion (1955) *

( AHL) champion (1959 and 1969) * AHL Second All-Star Team (1967) *

(AHL) MVP (1967) * AHL First All-Star Team (1968) * Stanley Cup champion (1974, 1975; as an assistant coach)

References

External links

*
AHL Hockey Hall of Fame bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nykoluk, Mike 1934 births 2022 deaths Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Ontario National Hockey League broadcasters New York Rangers coaches Philadelphia Flyers coaches Rochester Americans players Sportspeople from Toronto Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs announcers Toronto Maple Leafs coaches Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto Marlboros players Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) players